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Change the
Conversation,
Change the World:
Reinvigorating Our Communities through
Investment in Social Entrepreneurship
Imagine a world where everyone’s ideas are valued
— where risks are taken to support high-potential,
dynamic leaders as they realize their dreams.
Joshua Venture Group is working to make this a reality.
We select the best and the brightest emerging Jewish
leaders, and empower them to realize a vision of
Judaism that is vibrant and engaging. Our Fellows
launch ventures that re-imagine the Jewish experience
by embracing contemporary values, leveraging new
media, and infusing our community with renewed
relevance and deep meaning.
Table of Contents
2
Background and Context
Introduction
Entrepreneurship in the Jewish Community
3
To Build Capacity: Leverage Available Resources to Address High-Priority Needs
Strengthen Organizational Leadership
Create Opportunities for Networking
Increase Organizational Stability
Build Financial Resiliency
7
For Broader Consideration: Organize Collectively for Greater Impact
Create Shared Goals, Language, and Definitions for Success
Provide New Ways to Measure and Demonstrate Impact
Encourage Realistic Growth Trajectories
9
To Assess Impact: Measure the Influence of Social Entrepreneurs
Catalyzing a Movement
Integrating New Concepts into the Mainstream
Influencing the Establishment to Prioritize Social Justice
Expanding Communal Boundaries
12
To Conclude: It Takes a Village
12
Appendix: Methodology and Data Collection
13Acknowledgments
2 | Change the Conversation, Change the World
Background and Context
Introduction
In 2012, Joshua Venture Group (JVG) graduated the third
cohort of the Dual Investment Program – the first since
our organization re-launched in 2009 – and initiated
the program for the 2012-2014 cohort. Our network
of entrepreneurs has grown to include 32 Alumni and
Fellows whose collective work continues to demonstrate
impact on the Jewish community and on the world. JVG,
a pioneer in the now burgeoning field of Jewish social
entrepreneurship, is committed to ongoing assessment
of our past efforts and to reflection on the impact of
our work in order to better support our Fellows, their
ventures, and the field moving forward.
JVG commissioned two important studies to inform
our work and direction: 1) a two-year, comprehensive
evaluation of the 2010-2012 Dual Investment Program,
and 2) a larger survey of the social innovation field to
assess how JVG and the broader community can provide
more effective, tangible resources to support social
entrepreneurs and their ventures as they mature.
A crucial element of our assessment has been impact
measurement. One of several metrics we employ to
measure our mission of community vitality is to assess
how the messages of our social entrepreneurs get
adopted and promoted by the mainstream community –
how their efforts change the conversation. We have found
that their contributions are rich, meaningful, and enduring,
and that their sustained impact requires sustained
investment from the communities they serve.
This paper offers insights gleaned from reflecting on the Dual
Investment Program and on the needs of social entrepreneurs
to fully realize their visions. Our intention is twofold: to inform
JVG’s work with our Fellows and Alumni moving forward, and
to shift the communal conversation from analyzing the needs
of maturing startups to acting on individual and collective
opportunities to help sustain their impact.
Entrepreneurship in the Jewish
Community
Social entrepreneurs identify voids in society and seize
opportunities to bring about social change. They launch
ventures that reflect their personal identities and that
resonate deeply with others seeking unconventional ways
to connect to their heritage. Social entrepreneurs are
the “pied pipers” of the Jewish community, connecting
with contemporary values to breathe new life into Jewish
spirituality, ritual, tradition, and connection.
By charting unknown territory, these entrepreneurs have
demonstrated that they can do much more than dream.
Bold and charismatic, they have produced sound business
plans to shift the status quo. They have shaped the Jewish
community by identifying social trends, by helping to
redefine Jewish identity, and by demonstrating creative
ways for institutions to engage new audiences and to
incorporate new perspectives.
JVG amplifies the impact of early-stage ventures and
guides emerging leaders as they develop sustainable
methods to scale their ventures. We are an advisor
to investors and a partner to entrepreneurs, playing a
strategic role in helping the Jewish community identify
and support innovative ideas and pioneering leaders
who reinvigorate the ways we experience and celebrate
Jewish life.
JVG is the only national venture philanthropy that supports
early-stage social ventures in the Jewish community
with multi-year funding and capacity-building resources.
Through the Dual Investment Program, we support the
growth and development of high-potential leaders and
their startups through a combination of core unrestricted
funding, coaching, connections, and capacity building over
two years. We work with visionary entrepreneurs to make
the community more open, just, and responsive to the
needs of all of its members.
| 3
To Build Capacity: Leverage
Available Resources to Address
High-Priority Needs
JVG recognizes the power of entrepreneurial ideas to shift
the Jewish landscape. The two studies we commissioned
demonstrate the value of our capacity-building activities
to further these efforts and surface common challenges
that many of our entrepreneurs face as their ventures
transition out of the startup phase.
By mapping our core competencies to some of these
most pressing challenges, we are confident that there are
tangible ways to ensure sound and enduring investments
in our Fellows and their ventures beyond the two years of
the Dual Investment Program.
The following four capacity-building efforts directly
address the needs of maturing startups, present some
of JVG’s direct responses to these needs to amplify the
work of our Alumni, and offer further opportunities for
communities to explore to advance these efforts.
Strengthen Organizational Leadership
When building an organization, social entrepreneurs
inherently feel a tension between advancing the work
(mission) and creating the infrastructure to support
this work (business). To respond to this tension, one
key component of the Dual Investment Program is the
opportunity for Fellows to work closely with an executive
or leadership coach on specific professional and
organizational development goals.
JVG Alumni rank executive
coaching, fundraising planning,
and board development as
priorities to strengthen their
leadership skills.
In JVG’s 2012 program evaluation, Fellows reported that
their access to tailored coaching “…provides crucial,
targeted skill building.” When surveyed, 89% of Alumni
indicated that they would take advantage of consulting
services offered at an affordable rate. Several years
out of the Dual Investment Program, JVG Alumni rank
executive coaching, fundraising planning, and board
development as priorities to strengthen their
leadership skills.
How we are responding:
To immediately address this need in a cost-effective,
high-impact way, JVG launched a pilot program for
our Alumni in February 2013 to support continued
professional development and networking. To build
on our core competency of providing tailored support
for leadership and resource development, we offered
Alumni the opportunity to work with an executive coach
or fundraising consultant on a six-month targeted
engagement to advance a specific resource development
objective. JVG has provided small grants to eleven Alumni
to engage these supports, with committed financial
contribution from the Alumni as well.
4 | Change the Conversation, Change the World
Collectively, their ventures represent a broad spectrum
of early- to “next”-stage ventures, with respect to
organizational age (3-12 years), budget (<$100K to
>$1.4M), and staff size (1 to 15). Their critical resource
development projects include: the creation of development
strategies both comprehensively and specifically
for targeted revenue streams; strategic stakeholder
communications; planning for key organizational hires; and
building strong boards of directors.
This initiative allows our Alumni, regardless of their
ventures’ stage of development, to build the capacity to
move their visions and their work forward.
Further opportunities:
Capacity builders can explore another targeted engagement
opportunity to strengthen organizational leadership: to
build a cadre of paid and pro-bono consultants. These
consultants can be allocated a set number of hours to
assist entrepreneurs with their organizational and leadership
challenges, such as executive training, board development,
and organizational planning processes. Organizations like
Catchafire and The Taproot Foundation work to connect
skilled professionals with nonprofits, and similar models can
be utilized to help social entrepreneurs build their skills in a
simple yet highly effective way.
Create Opportunities for Networking
To advance their work, entrepreneurs need a supportive
network of colleagues with which to share ideas,
experiences, and resources. As their ventures continue
to develop, the connections they have and seek become
increasingly important.
When surveyed, the majority of JVG Alumni stated that
they have strong personal and professional ties with each
other as a core network. The opportunities for growth lie
in strengthening and broadening their existing networks.
Many Alumni have expressed interest in speaking about
their experiences, mentoring current Fellows, and
publishing articles about their successes and challenges.
Brokered relationships with communal leaders, potential
funders, consultants, and service providers from within
and outside the Jewish communal network would also
extend their reach and, consequently, their impact.
The opportunities for growth lie
in strengthening existing networks
and in brokering relationships
with communal leaders, potential
funders, consultants, and service
providers from within and outside
the Jewish communal network.
How we are responding:
JVG continues to seek ways to strengthen and expand
our Alumni network. We intentionally broker relationships
between and among JVG Fellows, Alumni, board and
advisory council members, and funding partners –
formally at larger convenings, such as our launch event
at the JFNA General Assembly (GA) in November 2012,
and directly through one-on-one connections where there
are potential synergies. We also work more broadly
on network-weaving through opportunities like The
Collaboratory, a joint effort we co-sponsored in May 2013
to bring together a wider network of Jewish innovators
and entrepreneurs to learn with and from each other.
More than 20 JVG Alumni and Fellows have benefited
from travel and registration subsidies to attend these
opportunities to connect with an extensive network of JVG
Fellows and Alumni, board and advisory council members,
and influential communal leaders.
| 5
Further opportunities:
Funders and community leaders are positioned to create
networking shidduchs (matches) through mentorship and
opportunities for communal professionals to learn from
experienced entrepreneurs. Jewish institutions that already
focus on communal leadership development can serve an
important role in this process by convening communities
of practice and by creating programming for leaders at
similar stages of venture development. These institutions
have expansive networks to connect early-stage
organizations with communal leaders, potential funders,
consultants, and service providers within and outside the
Jewish community.
Increase Organizational Stability
As ventures develop, entrepreneurs often face a difficult
balance between program expansion and setting the
operational standards needed to sustain the work over
time. JVG Alumni have reflected similar sentiments, and
even several years into their ventures, they have indicated
that shared services to address personnel, legal, and
financial needs would be welcome supports.
While most experts in the innovation sector focus on
long-term vision and implementation plans to work toward
organizational stability, strategic partnerships or access
to shared services and back office support can also allow
for more stabilized day-to-day operations. In its simplest
form, increased stability can mean reducing isolation
for young leaders; providing regular community building
opportunities; and allowing young leaders to share their
ideas, experiences, and best practices.
How we are responding:
JVG provides Fellows and Alumni access to resources
and consultative support while leveraging the collective
wisdom and experience of the network to build community
and share best practices. We have created a rich internal
database of informative articles, templates, and toolkits
to simplify many back-office needs. Our entrepreneurs
download relevant forms and sample materials, access
concise explanations of technical topics, and contribute
information they come across during independent
research. The database also houses a list of vetted
coaches and consultants who have agreed to work with
our Fellows and Alumni at reduced rates.
During retreats and other network gatherings, we devote
time for Fellows and Alumni to share best practices and
to impart their wisdom to benefit the group. Through
one-on-one peer consultations, peer problem-solving case
studies, and panelist workshops, each entrepreneur is
given the space to think through infrastructural and big
picture challenges in a supportive peer environment.
Our Fellows also convene virtually twice each month
to crowdsource solutions to their most pressing
needs, which range from the development of better
systems for organization to best practices for building a
comprehensive outreach strategy.
Further opportunities:
With robust infrastructure and access to non-monetary
resources, Jewish institutions have the capacity to
support entrepreneurial growth through fostering strategic
partnerships and providing access to shared services,
back-office support, and institutional expertise.
To account for possible leadership turnover, lay leaders
and investors can help entrepreneurs think long-term
about avenues to merge ventures with existing programs
and to assist founders to develop sustainable contingency
and transition plans.
Build Financial Resiliency
Financial sustainability is the most common challenge
that entrepreneurs encounter as they grow their
organizations – a sentiment echoed by our Alumni as one
of the top contributing factors to anxiety about long-term
organizational planning. As their ventures move out of the
6 | Change the Conversation, Change the World
startup phase, revenue becomes harder to secure due to
their smaller size and reach not attracting funding from
large foundations and major philanthropists, as well as
misperceptions about their own growth trajectories and
financial sustainability.
As part of long-term financial
planning, it is critical that Alumni
not only diversify their income,
but also figure out how to remain
visible to funders and to align
themselves with funding priorities.
How we are responding:
Funding diversification and navigating the philanthropic
landscape have consistently been integrated into the
Dual Investment Program curriculum through specialized
workshops, retreat skills sessions, and direct networking
opportunities. To demonstrate our commitment to
advancing this area of development, financial sustainability
is now formally presented as a cornerstone of our
two-year program, woven into all aspects of individual
and collective activities from the onset. Our work in
partnership with funders who support designated Fellows
builds on these efforts and assists Fellows as they
develop stronger relationships and deeper networks within
their respective fields or geographic regions.
We have developed opportunities for our Alumni to build
additional financial resiliency after the Dual Investment
Program concludes. Our pilot micro-grants program allows
Alumni to directly address their most pressing resource
development needs, whether they seek to grow individual
donor bases, to develop their boards, or to conceive and
implement comprehensive fundraising strategies. This
pilot program is an initial foray into a full suite of offerings
that we seek to offer our Alumni moving forward.
As an advisor to investors, we facilitate connections
where the work of our Fellows and Alumni intersect with
investment priorities. Fellows and Alumni have indicated
that participation in the Dual Investment Program is
equivalent to a communal hekhsher (seal of approval),
and we will continue to seek opportunities to leverage this
prestige to increase our entrepreneurs’ visibility and reach.
Further opportunities:
Funders can assist in the financial planning process
by building stronger long-term relationships with their
grantees and by clearly communicating the timeframes
and rationale for any shifts in funding priorities. Provision
of support and resources for sound financial planning,
encouragement of realistic growth without expectations of
grandeur, and sharing knowledge of the funding landscape
are all ways for the funding community to encourage and
contribute to early-stage financial sustainability.
| 7
For Broader Consideration: Organize
Collectively for Greater Impact
Beyond the direct assistance that post-startups require,
a common theme among experts is the need to shift how
the Jewish community views the innovation sector and to
create a more efficient model of doing business. JVG is
committed to working together with community leaders,
investors, and entrepreneurs to develop a shared vision
and to create actionable steps to help sustain the impact
of young entrepreneurial ventures over time.
Opportunities for us to organize collectively to measure
and achieve greater communal impact include:
Create Shared Goals, Language, and
Definitions for Success
There are scattered opinions of what ‘success’ could or
should look like in the innovation sector. These discrepancies
stem from various fundamental problems, not the least of
which is the lack of a shared vocabulary to help shape the
sector, such as clear definitions and benchmarks for stages
of development. Additionally, funders and program providers
do not always share common goals or clear visions for
the sector’s role in the broader Jewish community. Without
proper language and collective planning, it becomes a
challenge to capture the true value of an investment and
to suggest that there is limited potential for growth.
Moving the needle:
Several initiatives are underway in the Jewish community
to bring together thought leaders and experts within
specific fields to develop shared visions and language
to advance common goals. The Jewish Social Justice
Roundtable, for example, convenes more than 25 Jewish
organizations that work to elevate social justice in the
Jewish community. Roundtable conversations have
sparked several collaborations and joint campaigns,
including the 2012 national civic engagement campaign
to mobilize organizations working to increase voter
registration and to support specific ballot measures.
Within the Jewish innovation sector, following the
recommendations of Bikkurim’s report, From First Fruits to
Abundant Harvest, Slingshot Fund has convened capacity
builders and funders of innovation to increase collective
communication and to advance shared goals. Intertwined
with this effort, several of these support organizations,
including JVG, have collaborated to provide a shared
network and professional development event for all of our
past participants. This event, appropriately named The
Collaboratory, leverages the sector’s shared resources,
connections, and expertise to strengthen and broaden the
networks of innovators working to impact Jewish life. To
broaden communal conversations about shared goals and
best practices for collaboration, reflections and learnings
from this process will be shared in Summer 2013.
Provide New Ways to Measure and
Demonstrate Impact
‘Impact’ is difficult for many executive directors to define,
let alone measure. Most begin by measuring outputs and
by focusing on quantitative metrics such as audience
size and reach, number of programs, number of cities,
and budget growth. When it comes to outcomes and
impact measurement, however, most ventures are too
young to begin to measure and report the social, cultural,
or educational change that might be taking place. As
Alumni transition out of the startup phase, this poses
significant challenges for fundraising, campaigning for
new audiences, or expanding programs and services.
Moving the needle:
JVG encourages funders to provide resources for
benchmarking and evaluation, in addition to program and
operating expenses. The commitment of funders like the
Jim Joseph Foundation, which recently funded a field-wide
study of environmental programs, is essential to moving
the needle on this issue. Through this study, small start-ups
such as Wilderness Torah, Jewish Farm School, and Shoresh
8 | Change the Conversation, Change the World
Jewish Environmental Programs will gain knowledge and
data about the impact of their respective programs and the
field at large to further their own development. Similarly,
Fellows engage in impact assessment training and coaching
as part of JVG’s Dual Investment Program. Access to
these assessment resources greatly impacts how social
entrepreneurs think about, measure, and articulate their
goals and accomplishments – even on a very limited budget.
More broadly, we must also look at the influence these
groundbreaking ideas and projects have on our communal
conversations to appreciate their impact. JVG believes that
through assessment of the change that has occurred in
our communities since the introduction of these ideas, we
can see the significant influence our social entrepreneurs
have on how we talk about, engage with, and respond to
these issues on a communal level. The following section, To
Assess Impact (page 9), explores some of the ways JVG
assesses the broader communal impact of our investments.
Encourage Realistic Growth Trajectories
Growth is not synonymous with expansion, and
entrepreneurs need to learn to set realistic growth
trajectories for their emerging ventures. Ideas that sprout
startups evolve over time, and it is up to the entrepreneur
– with guidance and support from the community – to
ensure that the structure and long-term strategy in place
will achieve the desired impact.
Many of us recognize that not all ideas should be built into
independent organizations; rather, there should be a new
methodology to differentiate between ventures that should
be enduring organizations and those that should grow
as programs embedded within mainstream institutions.
The Jewish community, and nonprofit sector as a whole,
should not incubate innovative ideas that exist in silos,
and must work together to facilitate, where appropriate,
mergers, partnerships, collaborations, and opportunities
to grow new ideas from within established institutions.
Moving the needle:
The Jewish innovation sector has not only acknowledged
that there is a place for new ideas beyond the creation
of new startups, but it has also taken active steps to
incorporate support for alternative structures into its
programs and services. JVG has supported intrapreneurial
ventures in past cohorts, and we continue to explore ways
to partner with established organizations to encourage
innovation from within. PresenTense and UpStart Bay
Area also work with partner institutions on initiatives that
promote and cultivate intrapreneurial innovation.
As startups grow and landscapes evolve, entrepreneurs have
found strategic collaborations and mergers to be effective
to advance shared goals. The mergers of Hazon and Isabella
Freedman Retreat Center, and of Keshet and Jewish Mosaic,
are two examples of young organizations that have moved
forward to align missions to increase impact. While these
efforts are resource-intensive and may not be the answer for
every situation, it is important that the broader community
support the appropriate growth for each project.
Growth metrics from the 2010-2012 cohort:
INFRASTRUCTURE
Staff Growth:
full-time staff (aggregate)
2010 11
2012
17
588
part-time support (aggregate)
2010
2012
31
49
volunteers
engaged
2010-2012
Structure Stabilization:
2 ventures acquired
501c3 status
1 venture
incorporated
2 ventures secured
fiscal sponsors
| 9
To Assess Impact: Measure the
Influence of Social Entrepreneurs
Social entrepreneurs effect real, relevant change in the
Jewish community: they give voice to marginalized issues
and populations, placing them firmly on the communal
agenda; they spark movements to champion important
causes; and they redefine what it means to belong to and
build meaningful, resonant Jewish communities.
percentage of total revenue indicate healthy organizational
infrastructure. A significant rise in program participants
demonstrates that these programs and services are
reaching growing numbers – and that demand exists.
Our Fellows are required to submit annual impact reports
to reflect on their growth and development, and to report
on specific quantitative metrics (outputs). The metrics
collected from the 2010-2012 cohort, for example, tell a
compelling story. Steady budget growth, staff structure
development, and increased individual donations as a
Beyond the outputs, JVG assesses impact through longerterm outcomes – the extent to which Jewish communal
conversation or action has changed as a result of these
entrepreneurial interventions. The success stories of
our Alumni highlight the role of targeted philanthropy
to identify visionary leaders and to transform early
successes into scalable ventures. We have documented
the remarkable ways in which they have shifted communal
attitudes, influenced the establishment, and integrated
new ideas into the mainstream. The following case
studies present a microcosm of how grassroots initiatives
launched by social entrepreneurs influence the Jewish
landscape and create lasting, meaningful change worthy
of our collective support.
FINANCES
PROGRAM
Budget Growth:
Direct Impact:
JVG believes deeply in the leaders and ideas in which we
invest and in the impact on the broader community that a
significant investment in both has produced. We believe that
success can take many forms. To measure the impact of
our investments, we examine both outputs and outcomes.
budget size (average)
2010
2012
program participants (average)
$155K
79%
$283K
2010
2012
388
2,528
average growth
2010-2012
Revenue Diversification:
15% individual
donations
15% earned
revenue
2010
Virtual Impact:
24% individual
donations
17% earned
revenue
unique website visitors (average)
2012
2010
2012
7,623
10,064
10 | Change the Conversation, Change the World
Sharsheret Catalyzes a Movement
Rochelle Shoretz, 2003-2005
Ayecha Integrates ‘Jewish Diversity’
into the Mainstream
Yavilah McCoy, 2003-2005
Although Jewish men and women are 10 times more
likely to carry a gene mutation that triggers hereditary
cancers, founder Rochelle Shoretz remembers a time
when having breast cancer was still an unspoken
malady within the community—even taboo. Since 2001,
Sharsheret has given a voice and a face to breast cancer,
to support young Jewish women and their families and to
put hereditary cancer on the Jewish communal agenda.
Sharsheret now educates and supports more than 10,000
Jewish women, families, and communities each year.
Sharsheret has created a model of culturally relevant and
Jewishly infused healthcare support services that has
spread from community to community, across college
campuses nationwide, and onto the national agenda of
cancer care for young adults.
Moreover, Sharsheret offers a strong Jewish perspective
on the issue that has changed the national conversation.
Rochelle recently spoke with a key member of the
cancer pharmaceutical industry who was crafting a
magazine of culturally relevant cancer programs. She
was proud to feature Sharsheret, but more importantly,
she acknowledged that the magazine was premised, in
large part, on Sharsheret’s work to highlight the need
for culturally relevant cancer support and education.
In 2012, Rochelle was also appointed to the Federal
Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women,
and she currently chairs the Advisory Committee’s High
Risk Workgroup to help shape messaging to high-risk
young women, including those in the Ashkenazi Jewish
community with a genetic predisposition to breast cancer.
Ayecha was founded to provide educational resources
for Jewish diversity and advocacy for multi-racial families
and Jews of color in the United States. Although Jews of
color represented nearly 20% of American Jewry in 2000,
there were no federations, JCCs, camps, synagogues,
or community institutions with an intentional strategy or
informed practice about cultural competency for these
populations. Ayecha’s founder, Yavilah McCoy, was the
first Jewish woman of color to spearhead such an initiative
and to address national organizations like the Jewish
Federations of North America, Jewish Funders Network,
Hillel International, and the Coalition for the Advancement for
Jewish Education (CAJE) on the subject of Jewish diversity –
a concept that few leaders had heard of or thought about.
The establishment of Ayecha galvanized the integration of
the concept of “Jewish diversity” within Jewish outreach
spaces. Yavilah paired her advocacy efforts with diversity
training, cultural programs, and the empowerment of
Jewish leaders of color. The organization’s Jewish Leaders
of Color Roundtable served as an on-ramp for new leaders
now holding prominent positions in the community,
including April Baskin, Linda Jum, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl,
Marissa Tiamfook, Shirley Price, and Adam McKinney.
Ayecha provided the Jewish community with relevant,
replicable, and engaging tools to explore diversity and
created a support network for Jews of color and multiracial families. It challenged the establishment to think
strategically about diversity and pushed its leaders to
transform practices around inclusion. While the organization
formally closed after eight years, Ayecha’s impact endures
through having laid the foundation for the communities,
leadership, and resources in the field that thrive today.
| 11
Uri L’Tzedek Influences the Orthodox
Community to Prioritize Social Justice
Keshet Expands the Boundaries
of Inclusion
Rabbi Ari Weiss, 2010-2012
Idit Klein, 2003-2005
Founded in 2007, Uri L’Tzedek is the only Orthodox
social justice organization that engages Jews in an effort
to make social justice, business ethics, and ethical
consumption a new norm in the community. Uri L’Tzedek’s
signature program, Tav HaYosher, has been adopted by
more than 100 kosher restaurants nationwide and has
raised awareness about ethical consumption and food
justice among kosher consumers.
In 2001, Idit Klein founded Keshet to respond to the needs
of the LGBT community and to advocate for inclusion
within Jewish communal institutions. At the time, LGBT
Jews were largely hidden, and they were not considered
crucial to the overall health and wellbeing of the Jewish
community. Rarely did a rabbi or other Jewish community
leader speak openly in support of LGBT equality. Hebrew
schools and day schools did not train their teachers to
respond to anti-gay harassment and bullying.
Uri L’Tzedek’s boycott of Flaum’s manufacturing plant,
which was cited for gross violations against workers,
demonstrates how the organization has put issues like
fair wages and labor rights on the Jewish communal
agenda. Through petitions, publications, and educational
efforts, Uri L’Tzedek has influenced large institutions like
the Orthodox Union, the Rabbinical Council of America,
and Yeshiva University to pass resolutions affirming the
need for ethics and justice in all aspects of personal and
communal life.
Uri L’Tzedek’s leaders have become well-respected
authorities on Jewish and social justice issues, attracting
more than 20,000 participants to their social action
programs. Through its fellowship programs, Uri L’Tzedek
has developed a new cadre of more than 100 educated
young activists committed to Judaism and social justice.
In just six years, Uri L’Tzedek has grown from a small
start-up to a national organization that is shifting attitudes
within the Orthodox and broader Jewish communities.
Eleven years later, Idit’s leadership and risk-taking has
created more awareness and acceptance of LGBT people
within Jewish communities and has helped transform
the Jewish community into a powerful political force for
marriage equality at the ballot box. Many Jewish schools,
youth groups, synagogues, and other institutions now
embrace LGBT inclusion and standing up to anti-gay
bullying as a primary value, and there are new GayStraight Alliance clubs at Jewish community high schools.
In 2011, BBYO, a national Jewish youth group with an
87-year history, made a public commitment to put an end
to bullying due to real or perceived sexual orientation or
gender identity, and in 2012, Jewish communities proved
themselves effective organizers on statewide campaigns
for marriage equality across the country.
Keshet has made major inroads to realize a more inclusive
and diverse Jewish community. It has attracted support
from mainstream philanthropies, including the Charles and
Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, and has played a
significant role in influencing the Foundation’s decision to
make inclusion central to its funding priorities.
12 | Change the Conversation, Change the World
To Conclude: It Takes a Village
Social entrepreneurs are reinvigorating the landscape
of Jewish life. They inspire new ways to think about
communal leadership and advance bold visions to engage
more and more Jews from different walks of life. They
tackle problems with innovative models and impact largescale public perceptions. Their nimble structures allow
them to experiment more freely than their counterparts
in larger, more established organizations, whose
complicated networks of stakeholders and bureaucratic
systems often hinder the ability to adapt quickly to
contemporary needs.
The long-term influence of social entrepreneurs is real and
measurable. Years after their progressive ideas have been
ignored or rejected by mainstream organizations, the very
same organizations will adopt and promote these ideas as
their own. Success for social entrepreneurs happens when
their views are no longer feared but embraced.
These entrepreneurs have made incredible strides –
and they have not done it alone. Joshua Venture Group
recognizes the importance of the relationship between our
Fellows and Alumni and the investors that help bring about
change. This collective community of entrepreneurs and
investors has modeled collaboration through mentorship,
guidance, and thoughtful processes to create new
streams of funding.
Social entrepreneurs have helped us to understand
that the next chapter of their work cannot be written in
isolation. Their needs and communal responses identified
through JVG’s research offer tangible solutions to work
together to effect meaningful change. If we truly want
to achieve a more just, vibrant, and inclusive Jewish
community in our lifetime, it is our responsibility to
support the changemakers whose visions reflect this
reality – and we will need to do it together.
Appendix: Methodology and
Data Collection
In 2012, Joshua Venture Group (JVG) commissioned two
studies and additional stakeholder surveys and interviews
to better understand the impact of the Dual Investment
Program, to identify the outstanding needs of Jewish
social entrepreneurs, to explore ways to scale impact, and
to further support our Alumni.
developing the framework and methodology, and the team
at Arabella put together a comprehensive and thoughtful
report. This evaluation included interviews with Fellows,
staff, and stakeholders; tracking organizational metrics;
observing program retreats; and assessing network
mapping through additional data collection from Alumni.
JVG Program Evaluation:
Arabella Advisors (formerly Blueprint Research and Design
for Philanthropy) conducted a two-year evaluation of the
Dual Investment Program. Tina Joh was instrumental in
Feasibility Study:
Ora Weinberg, an independent consultant, conducted a
feasibility study to identify needs for maturing startups
and to determine potential Alumni services. In addition
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to analyzing external studies on scaling impact in the
innovation sector, Ora spoke with experts from incubators
and capacity builders that support startup and poststartup organizations, including Bikkurim, Makom Hadash,
Jumpstart, UpStart Bay Area, SmarterGood, and Practica
Development Services. Interviews were also conducted
with leaders at the following philanthropic foundations and
institutions: the Jim Joseph Foundation, the Charles and
Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Samuel Bronfman
Foundation, Slingshot, UJA-Federation of New York, Natan
Fund, and the Walter and Elise Haas Fund. As part of the
study, a survey was circulated to Alumni to identify the
long-term benefits of receiving JVG’s support and potential
ways JVG could continue to advance efforts.
The paper also incorporates data collected from
internal JVG reporting documents and strategic planning
materials. JVG Fellows submitted impact reports and
self-assessments as part of their reporting requirements,
which documented growth and output metrics as well as
narratives to demonstrate impact.
Acknowledgments
Joshua Venture Group is grateful to the following
individuals and organizations for their contributions to
this project: Lily Lozovsky (author), Ora Weinberg
(author, Designing JVG’s Alumni Program: A Feasibility
Study for Potential Alumni Services), Arabella Advisors
(author, Off and Running: Evaluating the First Two Years
of Joshua Venture Group’s Re-launched Dual Investment
Program), Jenny Kibrit Smith (editor), and Lisa Lepson
(project director).
Our sincere thanks to the following individuals for their
valuable feedback and support throughout the process:
Phyllis Goldman, Jonathan Horowitz, Jordan Namerow,
Nancy Schwartz Sternoff, Julie Shaffer, Gabby Sirner, the
members of JVG’s board and advisory council, and all of
the smart and insightful communal leaders interviewed by
Ora Weinberg for our feasibility study.
A very special thank you to the Walter and Elise Haas
Fund, whose generous support catalyzed this work, and to
the Nathan Cummings Foundation, the Charles and Lynn
Schusterman Family Foundation, and the Lippman Kanfer
Family Foundation, for their continued support and for
their commitment to ongoing evaluation and reflection,
which has guided our organizational learning and direction.
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